Oklahoma Law Review Symposium Shines Light on Human Rights Abuses

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma College of Law hosted the annual Oklahoma Law Review Symposium Friday, Nov. 13. This year’s theme was “Accountability for Human Rights Abuses Abroad by Private Security Contractors.”

The event consisted of three panels featuring expert speakers with specialized interests involving human rights. The topics and panelists included:

Civil Accountability in U.S. Courts: Laura Dickinson, Oswald Symister Colclough Research Professor of Law at The Geroge Washington University; and Edward T. Swaine, professor of law at The George Washington University.

Multistakeholder Initiatives: Arvind Ganesan, director of business and human rights at Human Rights Watch; Reg Manhas, senior vice president of external affairs at Kosmos Energy; and Lynn Sicade, senior advisor for multilateral and global affairs and deputy director of the office of multilateral affairs in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor.

Criminal Accountability in U.S. Courts: James G. Stewart, associate professor of law at Unviersity of British Columbia; Steve Vladeck, professor of law at American University; and Alex Whiting, professor of practice at Harvard Law School.

“This year’s international business and human rights topic springs from the consultations OU Law hosted last year on the White House national action plan on responsible business conduct abroad,” said OU Law Dean Joseph Harroz Jr. “Centering the Symposium on this issue gives our students a unique opportunity to develop intellectually and gain a greater understanding of the world that they will soon help lead.”

Evelyn Aswad, Herman G. Kaiser Chair in International Law at The University of Oklahoma, served as panel moderator. After presentations by the panelists, attendees posed questions for further discussion.